Cinderella?
by down memory lane
Summary: I used to think that my life was like Cinderella, that when I was older my Prince Charming was going to come sweep me off my feet and we would live happily ever after. That dream is gone now though. Besides happily ever afters have to end sometime...
1. Meeting Sirius

**Prologue**

_Why am I here?_ It seems as though I ask myself that quite often. But it is something that I shouldn't ask myself, I should ask my mother. Only I already know what she's going to say. She'll say that I need to learn to be a muggle, and could I please leave because another student is coming in to see her.

Wonderful person my mother is, don't you think?

Times would have been different, if dad were still alive. They, my mum and dad, would probably have let me go to Hogwarts, and mum might still work at the Ministry of Magic. But dad died and my mum, completely and utterly broken, shunned anything and everything to do with magic after that.

Dad died the day I turned eleven. Just the day he had said I would receive my letter to Hogwarts. And he was right, I did. But of course, I didn't tell mum because dad had just died.

When I eventually told her about the letter, she scoffed and told me to go to bed. She absolutely refused to let me learn magic. Going against my dead father's wishes, I might add.

Life considerably changed after that. Mum snapped her wand in half and refused for me even to say the word 'magic' in the house. She got a job as the headmistress of a school in Bristol. Then she shipped me straight off to live at a muggle boarding school until I was fourteen.

When I returned home, life was definitely different. Mum had moved out of the house that dad had built with his own bare hands. She lived in a small apartment penthouse… with her boyfriend. And not just a boyfriend, a son as well. Mr. Pompous Arse, as I liked to call him, had been married previously. His wife had disappeared, leaving him with his son, Jason.

My mother expected Jason and I to hit it off right away. We were the same age, we would both be attending mum's school for our high school years, and we were both so happy about our parents being together… NOT!

Jason seemed as though he didn't even realize that two females lived in his house. He was entirely fascinated with video games, which I happened to find completely pointless. I mean who _wouldn't_ want to race fat men in beards around the forest? Note the sarcasm!

Though the apartment _was_ a pent house, there were still only two bedrooms. One bedroom for mum and Pompous Arse (yuck!) and one for Jason and I to share. Hello? We aren't five anymore. Even if he were my real brother I wouldn't share a room with him.

This meant that I had to sleep in the attic. And this wasn't some nice attic that I could turn into a wonderful room, with a wonderful view of the city. This attic was the definition of an actual attic. Cram packed with stuff, bats in the rafters, and itchy insulation all over the floor. The first week in the attic, I had rashes all over my body. Does my mum notice? Nope, she just asks me why I'm getting so much acne lately.

I attended mum's school, she kept the secret of our powers away from Pompous and Jason, and I continued to sleep in the attic. I guess life probably could have been worse. I cleaned out the insulation, causing the whole house to be freezing in London's winter, and cleared out a space for a mattress. My room was really the only place that I could feel like myself. I had discovered the boxes in the attic were filled with my dad's old possessions. In it were pictures of him at Hogwarts, riding a broomstick, standing with mum at their wedding. I missed dad and it was cool to see him when he was just a pimply teenager.

A couple of boxes had stood unopened in a corner of the room, filled with books. Usually I don't like to read, which was why the boxes hadn't been opened, but when you're locked in your room because you forgot to take out the trash, you get extremely bored. Which was why I found an old journal that had belonged to dad. It was filled with the most hilarious stories, wizarding places that I had never heard of, ideas for good pranks, and funny little drawings.

My favorite part of the journal was the descriptions of a bar called The Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley. Dad described such funny people who would come to it: hags, vampires, and all sorts of strange creatures. He even mentioned that it resided in London! One day, when mum lets me leave the house, I'm going to go and find it.

**Chapter One: Meeting Sirius**

She's done it again, that crazy mother of mine! And all because I said the word_ magic_. And not even in the context that she didn't allow! I guess I should start from the beginning.

When I first met Jason, my mum's boyfriend's son, I thought he was pretty cool, yet as time went on he changed. He got irritating, mean, cocky, and just someone I hated. Eventually, it would be rare that we would even talk to each other.

So, when mum found me talking to Jason, she was suspicious at once. But, in fact, I was only telling him about this awesome magic trick my friend Trish has shown me. When mum heard me utter the word magic, she flipped! I swear all of London could have heard her screaming at me. Jason crept from the room, knowing only too well how worked up mum could become.

As mum yelled, I finally realized something. I couldn't stand this anymore, muggle high school, the boyfriend, the brother, the attic room, everything. It all suddenly became too much and I snapped. My unused magic power flooded from the broken dam inside myself. Power flew from me, shattering nearby windows, tearing up the sofas, and blowing mum across the room.

"I'm done!" I screamed at her. "I'm done pretending to be someone I'm not! I'm done living in the freezing attic! I've had it!"

I ran up the stairs and stuffed clothes and the little money I possessed into a bag. Soon I was sprinting back down the stairs. Mum was just picking herself up from the shards of glass and the pieces of cloth. She glared at me with such a look of venom that the phrase if-looks-could-kill, flitted through my head.

"Get. Out. Of. My. House!" She screamed at me, her face looked wild with her hair coming out in chunks from its usually neat bun, her hands clenched into fists; the veins prominent in her arms.

She was no longer the kind, caring mother that I had know for my entire life. Even though she didn't look a thing like my mother, I still would have never thought she would do the thing she did next. Usually my mother is very against violence, but that all changed when she grabbed the broom.

I wonder what the neighbors would have thought when they saw a lone girl being chased from the apartments by her mother, with a _broom._ If the situation hadn't been so desperate, it might have actually been funny.

Once mum saw that I was three blocks away, she turned around and left me to the chilling streets of London, England. I assumed that she would immediately go home and proceed to lock every door and window in the apartment.

Though it was late August, the air was chilly, bone-cold, typical London weather. I sniffled as I tried to stay warm, curled beneath a park picnic table, but it was no use. I cried myself to sleep, the first time I had done that since the death of my father.

The next morning came, waking me from the cramped position I lay in. I tried to stretch my neck out, but was forced to admit that it would never straighten out properly.

_What had I done? Why the bloody hell had I left?_ I thought as I wandered around. London was just waking up. Children clutched their schoolbooks as they walked the few blocks to school. A woman shook out a rug before hanging it on a clothesline. For some reason, she reminded me of my own mother, which caused me to burst into tears because I realized that I might never see my mother again. Even though she had been so horrid to me, she _was_ still my mother.

It was afternoon when I finally wandered into what seemed to be a shopping area. There were groceries, clothing stores, music stores, bars, and an assortment of other places. It was then that I noticed the one store that not a single person seemed to notice. It was wedged between two popular stores, but people's eyes passed over the store in between. My heart leaped when I saw the store name: The Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley! I hurried into the bar; glancing around to see if any other people had noticed me approaching the "invisible" bar. None seemed to.

The door snapped behind me as I entered the gloomy room. It was just as it had been described in my father's journal. Small tables and chairs were scattered randomly around the area. A rag cleaned a table without any assistance from a person. Pitchers of drinks hung in the air, until someone put a cup underneath them. Then the pitchers would pour their contents and continue floating. Strange people sat, some in the dark corners, their eyes darting around suspiciously. A man with dark eyes and a pale face drank a dark red liquid. A boy sat in the middle of a set of tables, drinking his drink while people-watching.

I was fascinated by everything. My mouth hung open and I walked around, amazed at all the things around me.

"First time here, I take it?" The people-watching boy stood before me.

He was _very_ handsome. I was suddenly self-conscious of my disheveled appearance.

The boy looked at me blankly when I did not respond. But, truth be told, I was struck dumb by how handsome he was. Though I already looked stupid by not responding, I shrugged my shoulders.

"The look on your face was priceless when you got here. This is the first time you've seen magic, huh?

The boy was obviously trying to engage me in small talk. Yet why would someone like _him_, be talking to someone like _me_? I mean, I wasn't too bad looking, but mum also said I looked too much like dad. I had curly black hair, a determined faced, and blue eyes. At the high school, boys never talked to me, but that might have been because mum was the headmistress.

"Yeah, it is my first time around magic." I answered shyly.

"So are you a muggle?" He seemed slightly confused at my answer.

"No, but my mum no longer believes that wizards exist."

The boy seemed fascinated by my answer.

"Why does she no longer believe in wizards? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." He said when he saw my face fall.

"It's okay, I just haven't ever talked about it with a stranger." I trusted this boy, yet I could not understand why. It had something to do though, with the look in his eyes, as if he, just like myself, had faced hardships in life.

"Then we won't be strangers. I'm Sirius Black, I live with my best friend James Potter, and I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"You go to Hogwarts?!" My eyes widened in excitement.

Sirius smiled at my amazement. "Yup, I am going to be a seventh year at Hogwarts. Now you have to tell me three things about yourself."

"Alright. My name is Anastasia Nichols." Sirius looked at me oddly, but I continued on. "I used to live with my mother, but she kicked me out." My voice broke slightly at the thought of my mum, but I continued on. "And I used to go to my mum's muggle school, but I really want to go to Hogwarts because I've never learned any magic before."

"Why did she kick you out?" Sirius seemed extremely curious.

"I just had enough. My dad died when I was eleven, and it crushed mum. She snapped her wand, rejected magic, and sent me off to boarding school." I surprised myself by saying it so matter-a-factly. Then I realized the weight that had lifted from my shoulders. Leaving that stupid apartment was the best thing I could have ever done.

"What happened after that?" Sirius looked so silly. He seemed like a little boy that was getting told a wonderful story of knights and pirates.

"When I got back from boarding school, mum had sold the house, and moved in with her boyfriend and his son. I attended the high school my mother was headmistress at and now I ran away, or was kicked out. She flipped out at me for saying the word _magic_ and I had just had enough."

"If you haven't had anything to do with magic then why did you know about this place?"

"I used to live in the attic. My mum stored all of dad's old stuff up there. They met at Hogwarts. I found a journal he had kept up there.

"Wow, so where are you staying now?"

"Umm, I'm not really quite sure. I have a little money, but not enough for anything decent. I'll just have to get a job where a high school dropout will be allowed."

"Why don't you go to Hogwarts? I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will let you in."

"Why would he? I turned down the letter when I was eleven. I've missed six years of my studies. What kind of person would let me in?"

"Dumbledore would. He lets everyone get a second chance. Though some don't deserve it?" His face darkened suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"There are people at the school that should not be allowed, my brother for instance." He ground his teeth together.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Sirius intrigued me, just as I seemed to intrigue him.

He seemed hesitant, but I waited, knowing somehow that he would tell me. "I come from the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. All my family are dark pure-blood wizards. They all believe that pure-bloods should rule and that everyone else is scum. They're in Slytherin for a reason." Sirius's face suddenly seemed dangerous to me. He obviously hated them. "I never believed in what they did. I was more like my cousin Andromeda. She was disowned, like me, for going against them. I was sorted into Gryffindor when I was eleven, something that had never happened before, for any Black. I ran away a year ago to live with my best friend."

"I'm sorry?" I wasn't really sure what to say. I mean, _I_ thought I had it bad, but Sirius, his whole life must have been terrible.

"It's okay, James is like a brother to me. Actually," He looked around. "James was supposed to meet me here twenty minutes ago."

"Oh, sorry, I guess I have to go." Sirius looked at me confused.

"Why?"

"Well, your friend is coming… Anyway, thanks for listening to me vent." I started to get up.

"Wait, where will you go?" He questioned.

"Umm, I'll find someplace." I answered.

"Why aren't you going to go to Hogwarts? Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world, he'll let you in." Sirius saw the happiness and hope in my eyes. "Listen, school starts in a week. Come with me to James's house. His parents love guests. We'll owl Dumbledore and you can come with us to Hogwarts!"

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly impose." I tried to keep the hope out of my voice, but it crept in anyway.

"Nonsense, come on." Sirius grabbed me from the bar, pulling me into a back alley. "Watch." He tapped a brick with his wand and the bricks melted away. "Welcome to Diagon Alley!"


	2. Going to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to Harry Potter!

Sidenote: Sorry I didn't put a note in the last chapter. This is a fairly new story. I've only written up to chapter three and a little of chapter four, but I will be writing a lot this summer! So I hope you enjoy the chapter and I would love any reviews left!

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I lost my breath gazing at the sights before me. People crowded around fascinating shops. Shop venders yelled the remarkable wares they had. Owls hooted, cats meowed, children yelled and ran about.

"There he is, the prat. See the girl James's with?" Sirius indicated a tall dark-haired boy talking to a beautiful red-haired girl.

"Yeah, who's she?"

"Lily Evans, the smartest soon-to-be seventh year. James has been in love with her since first year. Watch, she absolutely _hates_ him! And there she goes." I watched as Lily raised her hand and slapped the boy across the face before marching away.

"Prongs!" Sirius yelled over to his friend.

"Why do you call him Prongs?"

"Nick name." His tone indicated that there was a very long story behind the name.

"Hey Sirius. Who's she?" He pointed at me, his face still showing a faint handprint on one cheek.

"Anastasia Nichols."

For some reason, James rolled his eyes at Sirius, but Sirius just muttered 'later'.

"She's going to be staying with us till Hogwarts."

James just shrugged and said that they needed to be heading home.

I followed the pair, running to catch up as the fascinating sights slowed me down. I followed them into a store, which seemed to sell only pieces of junk that looked like things given away as party favors. The boys led me to a gigantic fireplace at the back of the store. I watched with large eyes as James threw a fist full of powder into the fire, yelled 'Potter Manor' then disappeared in a whirl of green flames. It was only when Sirius snickered at me that I realized that my mouth was hanging open in amazement.

"It's easy," He said, grabbing up some powder and tossing it into the fireplace that had, just previously, been occupied by James. "Just make sure you speak clearly and keep your elbows tucked in. Here, watch me."

I watched as he did what James had done before him. Once he had gone, I stepped closer to the fireplace and threw in my own handful of powder. Carefully I stepped into the warm, green flames, which felt like a warm breeze. Opening my mouth I said 'Potter Manor' carefully.

I spun throughout the fireplace, gasping at the smoke and ash that hit my face, until I fell straight out into a large room. Something caught me before I hit the ground, I realized it was Sirius's arm.

"Thanks," I looked at him as he smiled, my breath caught in my throat.

"Ah, you must be Anastasia! I'm Mrs. Potter. Sirius just informed me that you needed a place to stay and we would love to have you." I was engulfed in a large hug from James's mother.

"Thank you for letting me stay, Mrs. Potter. I don't mean to be trouble."

"No, no, it's wonderful to have more people here. Anyway, I don't think it's even possible to be more trouble than these two here and it's nice to have another female about!" She smiled widely at me.

I smiled right back at her, suddenly feeling at home more than I ever had at mum and Pompous Arses's apartment.

"I'll show you where you'll sleep. Come one."

Mrs. Potter led me from the room. As I left, I noticed James turn to Sirius with a questioning look upon his face.

She took me up a pair of staircases and down a long hallway. "Now, you can stay in this room, Sirius and James sleep just down the hall if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter, I'm just going to take a rest if that's alright."

"Of course dear! I'll send one of the boys to wake you up in time for dinner." She smiled happily at me and went back down the hall.

I collapsed onto the bed. Everything that had happened in only the last two days finally hit me all at once.

When I was finally able to drift into dreamland, flashes of nightmares of memories came forth from my tired mind, more terrifying than any nightmare I had ever had before. I remembered watching my father taking his last breath in that horrid hospital. I remember standing at my father's coffin, realizing that I would never see him again. I remember Mum crying, everyone we knew trying to comfort us, feeling in the dark, remembering how my friends stopped calling the house because I would never return their calls. All of this dredged up from the lock box in my mind that I tried to keep shut, but here it all came, in a torrent of pain.

"Can you _please_ get up now? I'm bored!" I jerked awake, pulling myself from my horrid thoughts. My eyes turned to see Sirius standing next to the bed.

"What time is it?" I sat up groggily, looking around.

"Nine!" I laughed at the whining quality in his voice.

"And you can't possibly entertain yourself, right?"

"Of course not!" He answered in a scandalized tone. "James is off with Mummy Potter and Mr. Potter is at work!"

"Fine. I'm getting up."

I took a shower, relishing in the warm water. I saw that someone had put a pair of clean clothes on top of the dresser, Mrs. Potter probably. When I finally found my way to the kitchen, I found Sirius bouncing around in a chair.

"What do you want to do then?" I asked as I munched on some cold pancakes he had given me.

"Well, I already sent an owl to Dumbledore and…" I looked up hopefully. "…He said it would be absolutely wonderful if you came to Hogwarts. But you are going to need a tutor."

I was so happy that I actually started jumping up and down, as Sirius watched with a very amused expression.

"Sorry." I muttered, sitting down again.

"It's fine, kinda funny actually." I pretended to pout at him. "So, we should probably go back to Diagon Alley and get all your stuff."

Diagon Alley was just as incredible as it had been yesterday. The interiors of the shops were just as fascinating as their exteriors.

I was very grateful of Sirius. He filled me in on everything magical, things that would have made me look lame if I didn't know them, things like Quidditch and Hogwarts. He told me about his friends, they were pranksters at Hogwarts and called themselves the Marauders. Everyone worshipped them, though. This became very evident by the amount of students who said hello to Sirius on the street and in the shops. I noticed that every Hogwarts female we passed, glared daggers at me.

"Hi Sirius! How's your summer been?"

A brunette girl pushed in between Sirius and I as we walked out of Diagon Alley. I noticed how shrill and irritating her voice was.

"Just fine," Sirius ran a hand through his hair, preening for her.

Once the girl had walked away, I burst into laughter.

"What?" Sirius looked very confused.

"Her…you…voice…" I couldn't finish my sentence as I howled with mirth.

"What?" Sirius asked again, indignant this time.

"Never mind," I said, smirking slightly.

* * *

The week continued on. I had never had so much fun in my entire life. James, Sirius, and I became extremely good friends. We swam in James's pool, walked throughout muggle London, and James and Sirius taught me a couple of pranks.

One morning, they thought it would be funny to wake me up by pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over my head. They were not prepared for my revenge. The two were eating their lunch calmly, until they noticed that their food was moving. Let's just say that there are a lot of bugs to be found in the garden…

I was sad when the time came to go to Hogwarts. I liked it here.

"Goodbye darlings. Ana, feel free to stop by any time! It was wonderful to have you! Could you try to keep these two out of trouble?" Mrs. Potter waved goodbye to us at King Cross Station.

Mrs. Potter and I had become good friends. She wouldn't let the boys in the kitchen because they always ate everything, but she let me come in there and help her cook. She would tell me stories about her time at Hogwarts and about all the classes. She even invited me to come visit over Christmas.

"Thanks, Mrs. P! I can't wait to visit again!" I waved back at her and followed the two boys.

The three of us climbed onto the train and walked down until we found an empty compartment. James immediately spread out on one side of the compartment, forcing Sirius and I to sit on the other side.

"So, then, we slipped into their dorms only to find that the Hufflepuffs had executed their own revenge by turning the whole room pink. But of course we couldn't just leave, so we decided to add our own touch."

"What did you do?"

James was telling me the most hilarious story, while Sirius sat and gazed out the window.

"Oh, we changed the colors to red and gold because that would definitely aggravate them more. Then we changed all their robes to say 'We love Gryffindor!'"

"How long did you get detention for?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Just a week." James answered easily.

I had learned that it was very common for them to have detention. They were actually having a competition to see who could get the most detentions in all seven years. While the two boys debated on who was actually winning, I watched through the door as people walked by, many of which were girls.

"Hey Siri!" A blonde entered the room and immediately sat herself on Sirius's lap. In the process, she knocked me to the floor of the carriage. "So, do you want to go somewhere a little more private?" She twirled a pointy finger around a lock of her hair, placing her other hand on his chest.

Incredulously, Sirius and the girl left the room, while James just sat there, shaking his head.

"Does he do that often with random girls?" I picked myself off the dirty floor, wincing at the bruise that was soon to rise on my bum.

"Yup. Sorry to break the news to you, but Sirius is a bit of a player. He's only had a couple of real girlfriends, other than that it's all random girls."

"Wow, I don't think I ever would have guessed it, actually, that's a bit disturbing." I realized that I was more disappointed in Sirius than I had ever been with anyone. Sirius and I had grown so close even in one week, but he just didn't seem like someone who would use girls like that.

"You get use to it after six years, but I had hoped he would change a little this year."

"Hmm." I murmured as I pulled a book of spells out of my bag.

"Hey, Ana, I have to go to the Head compartment for a prefects meeting. I'll catch up with you later, 'kay?"

"Sure James, see you later." I waved him off, immersed in my book.

"Hey, have you seen the Marauders?" I looked up an hour later. A boy stood in the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, you're new, you don't know who they are, sorry." The boy started to leave.

"Yeah I am new, but I know who the Marauders are. Sirius is somewhere with a random girl and James is at a prefects meeting."

"Oh, are you Anastasia?" The boy came back into the compartment and sat down across from me.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"James sent an owl to tell me that you were staying with him and Sirius. I'm Peter, by the way."

"Oh, hello, James and Sirius have told me so much about you."

I spent the remainder of the trip talking to Peter. James and another Marauder, named Remus, came in right before we got to Hogwarts. Sirius joined us as we were leaving the compartment. I tactfully ignored him. Sirius only noticed when he asked me a question and I gave him the silent treatment.

He grabbed my arm after we arrived at Hogwarts in the thestral-pulled carriages. I could see the creatures because I had seen my father die, but it seemed like James, Remus, and Peter didn't see the creatures.

"Ana, are you mad at me?" He looked sad as he asked me.

"Not really, I'm only a little disappointed with you." I answered truthfully.

"Why?" Sirius actually had no idea why I was upset.

"I guess I never would have thought of you as a person who would use females."

Understanding crossed Sirius's face. "James told you, didn't he?"

I nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I don't really know what you want me to tell you. I guess I do it because I don't want to commit to anyone. It's easier to just be with someone for a day, instead of actually staying with someone."

Sirius was so honest with me that it was hard to stay upset with him. I could see exactly why he did what he did. And, I was crappy at trying to hold grudges.

"I guess I see why, not that I still like it."

"So, are you still disappointed in me?" He looked at me with puppy-dog eyes.

"How can I resist those eyes, fine, I'm not upset anymore." Sirius smiled happily at me and pulled me up the steps to the school.

"Ah, you must be Anastasia Nichols. I am Professor McGonagall, follow me." A tall, tight-lipped woman greeted me at the front of the school.

"Okay," I looked at Sirius for assistance, but he just indicated for me to follow her.

I did as he wanted and followed Professor McGonagall to the largest room I had ever seen. Four long tables stood separate lines facing the staff table. Sirius sat down at what must be the Gryffindor table while I kept going up the line. I noticed that everyone seemed to be staring at me and whispers came from various people around me.

"Put the hat on your head, it will sort you." McGonagall pointed to a hat on a stool in front of me.

Sirius and James had told me what the hat did, but I was still nervous as I put it on.

"Ah, I have been waiting for you to come. Your father would have wanted you to come sooner, but I see that your mother always had other plans." The voice surprised me, for it came from the hat.

"Yes," I answered in my head. "But dad should be glad that I'm here now."

"Oh, he is. Now, where to place you… Your father did well in Gryffindor, but your mother favored Slytherin." This was news to me, never once had they mentioned, in their stories of Hogwarts that they were from enemy houses.

"You though, like your mother said as she locked you in your room, you have much more of your father in you. GRYFFINDOR!"

I sighed in relief as I went to sit down next to Sirius.

The meal was quite fascinating. After Professor McGonagall had brought in the first years and they had all been sorted, food suddenly appeared on golden platters. All the students chatted happily with their fellows, catching up after having a summer apart.

I chatted slightly with the four Marauders, but mostly stayed silent.

"What's wrong?" Only Sirius seemed to realize that I was being quieter than usual.

"Nothing, just something the Sorting Hat said." Sirius did not press, though I assumed this was because of what the Sorting Hat was sure to have said to him about being one of the first Blacks to _not_ be put into Slytherin house.

"Come on Ana, we're going up to Gryffindor tower." Sirius helped me up, but I leaned on him the whole way, I was exhausted.

The walk up to the tower would have been more amazing if I had been awake. At one point, Sirius picked me up and carried me because I was so tired. I made the walk up to the girls' dormitory on my own after a hurried good night to the Marauders.


	3. A bit of a mistake

Here's the next chapter! the next update might take longer than the one for Bravest because i don't have the fourth chapter of this written, but i do for Bravest. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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The next morning, I was woken up by a shrieking alarm. After having slept till ten every morning the previous week, waking up at seven was utter hell. As was the disgustingly, smelly mixture of hair spray, curling and straightening irons, perfume, and shower spray.

I could barely breathe as I entered the humongous bathroom. Five girls stood at the equally large mirror. They stopped talking when I came in. One of the girls, I saw, was the one that Sirius had spent the train ride with.

"Hi," I said shyly. "I'm Anastasia Nichols."

"Welcome to Gryffindor, I'm Lily Evans." Ahh, so this was James's love. It was kind of sick how much James loved her…and how much she hated him. "This is Lola, Genny, Chole, and Alice."

"Nice to meet you all." I responded, making my way to the mirror.

"Um, I have a question." The blond girl that had gone off with Sirius came over to me, a hot curling iron in her hand.

"Yes?" I said, keeping an eye on the smoking thing clutched in her talons.

"I was just wondering if James hit you with his trolley or something." I looked at her, shaking my head slowly. "Then why the hell were you in the Marauders compartment. I mean, that's like only reserved for Marauders, so I just thought they pitied you or something like that."

I glared at the girl. "Actually I've been staying at _James's_ house." Let them make what they want with _that_!

I smirked and left the bathroom, every girl in the room had their mouths hanging open. Quickly I changed into my uniform and walked downstairs to meet the Marauders.

"Good morning, Ana." Remus said, once I had found them.

"Hey Ana, what's the girl's dorms like? We've only been there once, but we didn't get to see much." I rolled my eyes at Sirius, how they had even gotten into the dorms, I wasn't sure because supposedly boys weren't able to even get up the stairs…

"Actually, it's quite disgusting." I said, answering Sirius's question. "They're all frying their brains away with the amount of hairspray and perfume they use. And they thought you guys pitied me and that was why you let me sit with you." The four Marauders scowled.

"Just forget them, Ana, they're just jealous that we like you more than them, except maybe Evans, no offense!" We all rolled our eyes at James.

"Come on, I'm hungry!" Sirius interrupted James before he could go on a rant about how wonderful his precious Lily flower was.

The five of us left the common room.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty and Black's new _toy_."

We whipped around in the Entrance Hall. Our eyes landed upon the dungeon door where three Slytherin boys and a girl were standing.

"Do you need something, Lestrange?" Sirius snarled, his eyes narrowed.

The group walked towards us, I noticed how James and Remus seemed to be gripping their wands under their robes; Sirius though, had his tightly in his hand, pointed directly at the boy in the center. The foursome had reached where the Marauders and I stood.

The boy in the center spoke. "Though I see why you like this one. She's sure got the look." He reached out his hand and grabbed a lock of my hair. I watched, paralyzed in an unexplainable fear as the boy rubbed the piece of my hair against his cheek.

Suddenly I was jerked away from him. Sirius had snatched me away and now had his wand pressed up against the boy's neck. My brain seemed to have frozen.

"Sirius don't, he's not worth it." Remus spoke, his hand clasping down on Sirius's shoulder.

"That's right, Black. Go back to the scum you call friends." All of a sudden my brain caught up with what was going on around me.

"We aren't scum!" I said, pulling my wand out, even though I had no idea what so ever what to do with it.

The boy raised his eyebrows at me, then turned back to the four boys. "Who would have thought that you boys actually could find a girl with a brain. It makes up for the lack of yours!" The girl with them laughed shrilly, the rest of them just smirked. "I can't wait to run into you again, Miss Nichols."

I watched, open-mouthed, as the Slytherins walked off to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As soon as they were out of sight, Sirius yanked free of Remus's grip.

"Those effing Slytherins. Don't worry Ana, you aren't our toy, Lestrange just doesn't know how to think up a proper insult." Sirius glared towards the Great Hall entrance.

"It's alright Sirius." I slipped my arm through his and pulled him into the Great Hall. Ignoring the Slytherin table, I pushed him into a seat at the Gryffindor table. The other three boys sat down around us.

We talked about lessons, none of us really wanted to bring up the topic of what had just happened.

As Remus was explaining why a person should never take Divination, Sirius groaned. We all turned to look at him; he just sunk lower in his seat and pointed towards a girl coming towards us.

"Oh bloody hell." James muttered, scooting over so Sirius was slightly block from the girl's view.

"Hi Siri-poo!" The girl pushed James aside and plopped herself into a seat next to Sirius. She proceeded to wrap one arm around Sirius's waist, her other hand flipped her hair from her face and then she casually took a strawberry from Sirius's plate.

I gulped. If there was one thing I had learned about Sirius, it was that you never, ever, ever take something from his plate. Food was his god. I had tried to steal the last bite of chocolate cake from his plate at dinner a couple days ago. He had tackled me to the ground, grabbed the cake from my fork, and then sat on me for an hour until I apoligised for stealing it.

Now I watched him clench his hands together and his mouth purse.

"Do you need something, Starlet?" He seemed to be trying to move out of her grip, but she kept scooting closer.

"Oh, silly, how many times have I asked you to call me by my first name. I think it's cute how you keep forgetting. It's just about as cute a you are"

By this time I was holding my stomach to keep from letting my laughter burst forth. James was looking at me with an amused expression. My face was bunched up and red, but I couldn't keep my laughter in.

I fell right off the bench, tears rolled from my eyes as I opened my mouth and howled in mirth. This set off the whole table. It seemed like everyone had been watching Sirius and the girl and they all seemed to find it amusing.

Remus joined me on the floor, he was silent, but when I looked at him I noticed that he was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out. I saw James, bent over his breakfast, his eyes tearing up under his glasses.

Finally when I had finished laughing, I looked up and noticed that the girl was staring at me. I raised an eyebrow at her; she just sneered.

"Who are you?" She flipped her hair behind her ear and protectively moved even closer to Sirius, she was practically in his lap.

"I guess I could ask you the same question." I flashed her the fakest smile I could muster.

"Fine, whatever. I'll see you later Siri!" She winked and threw him a supposedly seductive look before walking away, her hips swaying in a very exaggerated manner.

I looked over at James. "Well, that was interesting!"

James grinned at me. "That was Roxanne Starlet, a clear example of an air brained Hufflepuff. She thinks that Sirius is her boyfriend even though she's seen him snog about twenty girls since they snogged in a broom closet last year."

I smirked and watched the girl go back to her table. I noticed that after she sat down, her friends glared daggers at me.

"Sweet, I've been here for what, twelve hours, and I've already made enemies!" I shook my head and started eating my bacon.

"It's okay, Ana," Peter said, sending a glare right back at the girls. "We'll protect you!"

"Oh dear," I said. "You know, for some reason, that makes me even more nervous!"

"Your schedules," Professor McGonagall approached us, handing over our schedules. "Miss Nichols, your classes will be the same as most of your fellow seventh years, so to catch up, Professor Dumbledore has assigned Mr. Amos Diggory to help tutor you."

"What!?" Sirius and James yelled causing the people around us to gape at our group.

"Is there a problem, boys?" Professor McGonagall turned her piercing gaze over to James and Sirius.

"Well of course there's a problem!" James said in an obvious tone.

"And that would be what, Mr. Potter?"

"It's _Amos Diggory_, Professor," Sirius said, actually being serious (ignore the pun) for once.

"And what is wrong with Mr. Diggory, Mr. Black? He has the best grades of anyone in this year, though I must say that Miss Evans is quite close behind. He was not chosen for Head Boy because Dumbledore insisted that the position go to Mr. Potter here."

"We aren't top of the year?" James looked shocked at this piece of information.

"Well, _you_, Mr. Potter, were going to be Miss Nichols's tutor, but I believe that with N.E.W.Ts and your Head Boy duties, you have enough on your plate."

"Oh come on, Professor, I could still tutor her!"

"Well, why don't you show that to me by actually turning in your homework. That seemed to be of slight insignificance to you last year." Professors McGonagall's tone had finality in it that clearly displayed that this conversation was over.

"Wait, does this mean that Moony here isn't top of the year either?" Peter turned to McGonagall as if she'd lost her mind.

"Mr. Lupin is up at close third, but if you'll excused me, I have the rest of these schedules to pass out." The Professor left, leaving the boys to stare at her incredulously.

"Seriously guys, Diggory can't be that bad. What's he done to you?" I dug back into my plate of food, failing to notice how angry the boys all looked.

"_Diggory_," Remus spat out the name, which surprised me because for the short amount of time that I had known him, he didn't seem one to show his emotions very often. "He competes with us for every class and every girl, he's cocky, arrogant, and thinks he's better than everyone else."

"You all know that that is exactly what you four are?" Lily Evans was walking past our table with her friends, but they had stopped when they heard the conversation that we were having.

"You do know that you are rather rude, right?" I turned my eyes to the girls. Lily just rolled her own eyes and led her posse away.

"As Moony here was saying," Sirius continued. "Diggory has been at war with us since we let off a stink bomb in his train compartment when we all first came to Hogwarts. For some reason, this upset him and he's been fighting with us every since. Now though, we are much more mature," I snorted and rolled my eyes in disbelief. "And we don't try to be better than him, it just happens naturally."

"Right, the Marauders are so much better than I am." We all turned to look at a startlingly handsome young man sneering down at us. "Ah so you must be Anastasia." He said looking me up and down, causing me to blush. "What a _pleasure_ to meet you." He held out his hand smirking at the Marauders around me.

"Um, good to meet you too?" I wasn't quite sure if it was. I noticed that his sneer widened at my hesitancy.

"So I'll be seeing you this evening. How about after dinner in the library?"

"Sure," I answered, noticing how the boys were shifting uneasily around me.

Diggory smirked and strode away out of the Great Hall.

I didn't notice I was staring after him until I heard Sirius mutter 'git' under his breath and

I turned around to face James who was across from me at the table.

"I don't know, he didn't seem so bad to me." I answered truthfully.

"Not so bad? Are you crazy, Ana?" Sirius said, touching my forehead to see if I was running a fever.

"Now that I think about it," Remus said, looking to where Diggory had just stood. "If he could win you over, you would be his ultimate conquest." I looked confused, so he clarified. "He's always trying to undermine us, so if he can win your heart, he'd be taking something straight from us, his enemies. It'll be like taking a lollipop from a little kid."

"So you're saying I'm a lollipop?" I didn't understand his point, but the others seemed to. Sirius was glaring and James had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Um guys, if we want to make a good start to the year, we should probably get going." Peter said, glancing around to what I realised was an almost empty room.

"Let's go guys, we have McGonagall now and she won't like us being late for the first class of the term, besides I don't want detention this early on, we can see about tomorrow though." James said, standing up.

"Oh and just so you know James, I am so winning the competition. I have like twenty more detention than you do!" Sirius said.

Remus's eyes met mine and I giggled as we both rolled our eyes.

The way to the Transfiguration classroom was incredibly long, but we somehow managed to arrive on time.

I sat down next to Sirius, intimidated by how many people were going to see me try to attempt to do magic. Sirius seemed to notice my nervousness.

"It's alright, Ana, I'm sure you'll do fine and then McGonagall will see that you don't need anyone, especially Diggory to tutor you."

"Alright Sirius, but I'm telling you right now that the only experience I have had with magic is blowing things up, breaking things, or throwing them. The amount of magic I've done is very limited."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do everything perfectly." He could see that I was still unsure, but wasn't able to say anything else because Professor McGonagall had started the class.

"We are just going to review spells from last year, so for the rest of class I would like you all to work on changing your partner's hair colour. If you don't remember the incantation, it's on the board, but remember that you must do the spell non-verbally." I watched as McGonagall sat down at her desk and started reading some paper in front of her.

"Come on, Ana, this is actually a pretty easy spell. Just watch me do it first."

Sirius pointed his wand at my head, screwed up his face in concentration, and then flicked his wand. I felt an odd sensation, as if someone had heated and then cooled my head rapidly.

"Here take a look," Sirius handed me a mirror that he seemed to have in his pocket.

"You carry a mirror in your pocket?" I didn't think he was that vain.

"It's nothing, just a Marauder secret, I'll tell you about it later." I took the mirror, but almost dropped it when I say that my normally black locks had turned an amazing shade of orange.

"Wow, that's so cool! Um, can you change it back though, I look like a carrot!" Sirius laughed and flicked his wand. I made sure that my hair was back to its normal ebony shade before I handed back his mirror.

"Okay, now it's your turn. Just think the incantation in your head as hard as you can, and then flick you wand.

I closed my eyes tight and did what Sirius told me. An explosion caused my eyes to fly open in fright. Knowing me, I had probably blown Sirius up. I noticed a great deal of smoke coming from my wand and the area where Sirius was sitting. Was being the key word because, as the smoke cleared, Sirius was no where to be found…


	4. The cowardly Gyffindor

here's the next chapter of this story! i hope you all enjoy it! and just so you know, this story is starting to get much darker, so the rating will be probably going up. i hope you enjoy it though. there's less humour in this chapter as well.

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I stood dumbfounded, staring at the empty space that Sirius had just occupied.

"What's going on over here?" Professor McGonagall bustled over, confusion on her face.

"I… wand… Sirius," was all I managed to say until James walked over.

"Hey Ana, where'd Sirius go?" He asked, looking around.

"Miss Nichols, where is Mr. Black?" McGonagall stared me down, as I still looked to where Sirius had just stood.

"I don't know, Professor. There was a big cloud of smoke and then… he was just gone." I felt like I was going to cry. It was my first day and I was just trying to make a good first impression, but there I went and screwed it up big time.

"What spell did you think of, Miss Nichols?" Professor McGonagall had pulled out her wand and started waving it around in extremely complex-looking motions.

"I don't know," I said after pausing slightly. "I tried to do the one that you just taught us, but I don't think it really worked."

"Yes, well, _that_ is obvious." I hung my head in shame as McGonagall stared at me once more.

By then, the entire class had gathered around. The girls from my dormitory were glaring at me with a mixture of smugness at my lack of wand skills and, for some reason, worry. I didn't understand why they were worried until one, Genny I believe her name was, opened her lip-glossed mouth.

"Where did Siri go?" She turned to me. "What have you done to him?

"Now Miss Stephens, it is obvious that Miss Nichols is new at this school and with magic, she should not have tried that spell, but there's no use getting upset about it now. Miss Nichols, do you remember what place you were thinking of when you said the spell? There is a good chance that that is where he has gone." The whole class turned towards me, I felt my face flush with colour. I wasn't used to this much attention.

"Um, I don't think that I was thinking of any place in particular, Professor."

Before McGonagall could respond, a bark-like laugh was heard down the hall. James and I were the first two to recognize whose laugh it was. We both dashed to the classroom door and yanked it open. Sirius was strutting casually down the hall. I noticed, as he got closer, that his hair was a vibrant shade of violet. How had I managed to do the spell right, yet send Sirius who knows where?

"Are you okay?" I questioned desperately. I ran over to him to make sure that I hadn't done any permanent damage.

"Perfectly fine, though I must say, I wasn't really expecting to land in the girls' toilets. Myrtle was quite pleased to see me though. She actually asked me to stay!" I could see that Sirius was trying to make me cheer up because the look on my face couldn't be very happy. His attempts were not working though. I was sure that I had permanently hurt him.

"Mr. Black, are you alright? McGonagall had come out of her room, the rest of the class crowding around her.

"Completely fine, Minnie. Never been better!" He grinned at her, but she _did not_ smile back. Instead, she turned to me.

"Miss Nichols, because of your inappropriate use of spell work, you will be joining me this evening, my office, nine o' clock for detention."

"Oh, give her a break, Prof." Sirius said. "She just made a bit of a mistake. And look, I'm perfectly alright."

"Well then Mr. Black, you will be joining Miss Nichols. Back into class everyone." As the class took their seats once again, I stood back.

"Hey, come on Ana, it's okay." Sirius said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. I noticed that he had turned his hair back to its regular shade of black.

"No it isn't Sirius! I've completely messed up, McGonagall hates me, and I have detention, and now so do you!"

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't worry about all of that! All of us will help you get better. Diggory's still meeting with you, but if we also help than you won't have to be with him as much! McGonagall doesn't hate you and I could really care less that I'm in detention. Actually it's kind of good. I'm beating James right now in our contest to see who can get the most detentions." That made me smile a little, but I still wasn't very happy.

I followed Sirius back into the classroom, dreading the next half an hour that I would have to spend in there.

The rest of the day passed slowly. At lunch, I barely ate a thing. I noticed that Remus was looking at me in a concerned fashion. None of the others, except Sirius, seemed to notice my lack of an appetite.

Afternoon classes dragged on. In Charms, I refused to use a single spell. McGonagall seemed to have informed Professor Flitwick about my inability to do spell work, because he didn't seem bothered that I wasn't doing the spell like the rest of the class.

At the end of dinner, I followed the boys up to Gryffindor Tower. All I wanted to do was sink into my warm bed and sleep for a million years, but I still had Professor McGonagall's detention to look forward to tonight.

"Ana?" Remus said, turning to look at me. "Aren't you supposed to be with Diggory now?"

I cursed and turned around, heading for the library. I didn't notice the angry looks that James and Sirius were giving me as I left.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I forgot." I dropped my bag next to a chair then sat down. Amos smirked at me from the seat opposite mine.

"It's not a problem. I heard you had a bit of difficulty today in Transfiguration."

"How the bloody hell did you hear about that?" I laid my head down on the table.

"Oh, I believe everyone in the school heard about your little accident. Sirius's fan girls are a bit upset with you, to put it lightly."

"Can we just get started? I still have a detention with McGonagall tonight."

"Fine," He said with another sadistic smirk. "But you're going to have to come sit next to me. It'll be easier for me to show you the stuff in these books." He lazily indicated numerous books around the table.

His request seemed a bit strange, but I really needed to get better at magic. So, I picked up my bad and took the seat directly next to Amos. I looked around and noticed that from this spot, not a single person was able to see us, unless they walked around three bookshelves.

"Now, these books have simple spells in them. How about you give them a go?" I was a bit uncomfortable at having Amos this close to me. His arm brushed across my chest as he pointed at a spell in a book in front of me. I wasn't sure if it was on purpose or an accident.

I tried each of the spells he wanted me to. I couldn't do any of them. For some reason, I couldn't concentrate. I think it had something to do with the fact that Amos kept his hand on the book, his arm pressed tight to my chest.

"So, I'm going to have my work cut out for me. Aren't I?" I felt Amos's hand slide to my thigh, his other arm stayed where it was to my chest.

"Get your hands off me." I said trying to be strong, but my voice shook slightly.

Amos smirked. "You should be used to it, you're Black's new toy. To be on the safe side though…"

His hand left my thigh. I was about to breath a sigh of relief until I felt his wand pushed into my side. An electric shock went through my body. It felt like my insides were being electrocuted over and over again.

"You won't mention this to anybody, will you?" I couldn't defend myself. We were too far away for anyone to see us and the spell he was using was causing my brain to fog up, so I didn't even think of yelling for help.

Amos's arm moved up and I felt his hand brushing past my chest. "You tell anybody and you will regret it for sure. " I didn't doubt the sincerity in his tone. I understood that if I told anyone, I would most certainly regret it.

"I'll see you tomorrow, same time and place. Remember, not a word to anyone."

I grabbed my bag and pulled away from him. As I left the library, I felt my chest rising falling, gasping for breath. I had ten minutes to get to McGonagall's office for detention, but if I went in this state, Sirius was sure to notice that something was wrong.

I had seen Amos talking with the Slytherins at lunch. The same Slytherins who had taunted me earlier before breakfast. He seemed friendly with them, which meant that he had friends in powerful places. If Sirius guessed that anything was wrong, he would immediately suspect Amos, then Amos would think that I told him, and then who knows what would happen to me.

I opened the door to a, thankfully, empty broom closet. I sunk to the floor, taking deep, calming breaths. It took awhile, but my breath finally returned to normal. I left the broom closet, than started walking to McGonagall's office.

"You're late, Miss Nichols." McGonagall raised her eyebrows at me as I entered the room.

"Sorry, Professor, tutoring went a little late." I hoped she or Sirius wouldn't catch me in the lie.

"Alright then. I was going to give you two lines, but instead, Mr. Black is going to be teaching you asorted spells Miss Nichols."

I almost groaned in misery, just what I needed after that horrifying tutoring session, more spells.

I tried to concentrate and forget what had happened with Amos. With Sirius with me, I felt more confidant and even managed to succeed in a few of the spells.

"Good job, Ana. With all of us Marauders helping you, you'll be caught up in no time." Sirius said proudly as we walked back to Gryffindor Tower after detention. I tried to smile at him, but I think that it came out as more of a grimace.

"What's the matter?" Sirius eyed me suspiciously.

"Just tired." I lied.

Sirius continued to look at me, but didn't question me further. He bade goodnight to me at the bottom of the girls' staircase, then went up to his own dormitory.

I trudged up the stairs. I almost screamed in anger and frustration when every girl in the dormitory glared at me. Though, I did notice that the Head Girl, Lily, wasn't present. I got into bed and pulling my curtains around me. I cast one of the only spells that I had learned today, _silencio_, on my curtains, than sunk into my pillows and let the tears flow.

I was dreading the next day. A day full of difficult classes, evil glares from girls, and my tutoring lesson with Amos.

I didn't understand why everyone thought that I was Sirius's toy. I knew he had a bad reputation with girls, but why did everyone think that I was that to Sirius. None of them even knew me. The same thing had happened at my old school though. Everyone thought I was a nerd and was too stuck-up to be friends with any of them because my mum was head mistress.

I couldn't understand why I was placed in Gryffindor because I didn't have any courage to tell my friends what was going on. A scary thought had just occurred to me. If I told anyone about what he did to me, would Amos hurt someone besides myself, like my friends? I couldn't let that happen. I knew that no matter what Amos did to me, I wouldn't mention it to anyone. Surely he would stop after awhile, right?

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so what do you all think? i am very happy with the way im doing stuff so far, but please tell me if im right.


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